After Death Poem by Nikhil Parekh

There was a time when I emitted my first cry; with my mother hoisting
me high in the air,
Now I lay on the forlorn ground unattended; with scores of black cockroach
crawling over my face.

There was a time when my flesh was as rubicund as the crimson rose; with innocuous saliva dribbling from my mouth,
Now I resembled a disheveled heap; with a fleet of pugnacious vultures hovering above my head.

There was a time when I rambunctiously played with an ensemble of contemporary
toys; my elders pampering me with crusts of creamy chocolate,
Now people passing viewed me with dismay and utter repulsion; inadvertently showering rotten leftovers of food over my face.

There was a time when I used to voraciously scribble infinite lines of literature; profoundly absorbed in composing verse every day,
Now I was strewn on the tarmac like a decayed parchment; having relinquished
all my power of envisage and perceive.

There was a time when I used to dress in ostentatious clothing; overwhelmed to
gyrate to the tunes of blaring music,
Now I wasn't even able to hear the slightest of sound; the tiniest of movement; with a blur of darkness camouflaging my eyes.

There was a time when I sporadically laughed and cried; easily provoked by the
most impeccable of joke,
Now the blood seemed to have frozen in my veins; and the contours of my face
had gone completely lifeless.

There was a time when I used to hold the impregnable hands of my mother; to
cross the busy traffic lanes,
Now a fleet of bulky vehicles ran over my body; and I didn't shed even a solitary tear.

There was a time I had insatiable craving for exquisite food; irrevocably longed for fried steak all day,
Now the buds of taste had shriveled on my tongue; and I had been without water
for several days.

There was a time when my blood was incessantly boiling in my veins; with the
boisterousness of youth prompting me to execute irascible decisions,
Now a series of bones protruded from my wrinkled skin; and It was impossible
for me to raise my hands to drive away the most insipid of buzzing flies.

There was a time when I spent each day of my life incorrigibly loving my beloved; spending marathon hours in the day nostalgically reviving our initial romance days,
And now I lay listless and languid on the earth; having thoroughly abnegated
worldly pleasures; waiting for the Creator to grant me heaven or hell; after my death.